Picture Perfect! Kemi & Yinka’s Chic Wedding Celebratio

BellaNaija Weddings in collaboration with Munaluchi Bride Magazine brings you Kemi and Yinka’s intimate and chic wedding! Kemi and Yinka met at a friend’s  place and ran into each other again by chance, at a Nigerian Independence party a year later. They became close friends on the phone, then started hanging out after he persuaded her to come to a party one night. Close friendship bloomed into a relationship, and years after they met, they had an intimate chic wedding and reception in Maryland, USA. On their wedding day, Kemi – a natural hair bride, looked elegant in her curly honey kissed locs and strapless beaded Allure Bridals mermaid wedding gown, with romantic ruffles at the bottom. The groom Yinka was dapper in his black suit and purple tie with a matching floral pin. The bride and groom had tons of fun with Wamilele, a rocking MC and their closest family and friends, and changed into two matching traditional outfits at their reception.
Enjoy!
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Bride: Kemi Momoh
Groom: Yinka Momoh
Wedding date: August 18, 2012
How We Met
By the bride, Kemi
In 2005, a friend of mine wanted to hang out, so I ended up going to his place. We sat down and began to chit-chat not knowing he was sharing an apartment with a roommate. Yinka came out of his room and introduced himself, then joined us in the living room. As my friend and I went on, I soon realized there wasn’t much to talk about, while Yinka sat across and sparked a conversation that caught my attention. Yinka and I began talking for the rest of the evening; I mean we were talking as if we had known each other for a long time. About a year later, I ran into Yinka at a Nigerian Independence Day party. In my mind I’m thinking “Oh shoot! This guy again.” He spotted me from afar and came up to me, and blurted “Hi! Do you remember me?” I politely said, “Yes I do. You were the guy I met at my friend’s place.” So we began talking while he secretly asked for my number. From that point on, Yinka and I became really close friends. Even so, Yinka and I had not seen each other for years, but on this fateful Saturday; one of my girlfriends called and invited me to a house party in Laurel, Maryland. I told her I couldn’t make it. Couple of minutes later,
my phone rings again. It was a guy’s voice on her phone and I’m like hmmmnnnn…. “Who is this?” It was the same Yinka guy from the Nigerian Independence Day party. He persuaded me to come out, which I did. I got there, and it was like heaven for him, Lol. I personally think I was being stalked all night. We talked all night. We exchanged numbers AGAIN and agreed to hang out the following weekend. Hanging out the following weekend led to many more weekends. Yinka and I have been inseparable since that night.
Proposal
From the Groom, Yinka
I proposed to Kemi at Sequoia in Georgetown DC – where we had our first date. I called Sequoia a month prior to ask questions and tell them about my plans and thoughts. On this beautiful Saturday evening, I picked up Kemi for this dinner that would change our lives forever. 30mins after we arrived at Sequoia, I lied I had to use the restroom. Not too long after I lied about going to the restroom, I show up dressed in a black tux with a bottle of wine and 2 engraved glasses. She was still playing a game on her phone while I was standing looking down at her. I don’t even think she knew who I was till I started talking. To be honest, I don’t know how and
what I said because I was so nervous. All she kept saying was, “Are you kidding me?” which she repeated several times. I got on my knees and asked if she would do me the honor of spending the rest of her life with me. She said, “Are you serious?” Now I’m getting nervous because everyone in the restaurant was staring at me. I was giving her the, are you gonna please say yes look, so at last I said, “Are you going to give me an answer?”
With tears in her eyes, she screamed, “Yes! Yes! Yes!
Yes! I love you and I definitely want to spend the rest of my life with you.” …
A Memorable Wedding Day
From Kemi, the bride
Everything about our wedding day was memorable. The reception venue was beautiful and breathtaking, thanks to our friends from BCG. The MC, Wamilele, was on point; He definitely made the reception with his jokes. We’ve been to quite a few weddings and we didn’t want a disorganized event or a wedding where everyone is standing around doing their own thing. We wanted an elegant, intimate, organized and classy wedding. We also wanted our guests to eat, drink, laugh, dance and have a blast. Yinka dancing, trying to get the garter, everyone laughing and wondering what he was looking for; that is definitely a memorable moment.
Culture
Incorporating our Yoruba culture was a big part of our wedding. There were reception venues in the area that insisted on catering and we couldn’t compromise on the Caterer; we wanted our traditional food. We wanted the jollof rice, assorted meat, iyan (pounded yam), efo-riro (spinach, spices and assorted meat). We also had a Yoruba band. We wanted this band to play till at least 3am; this also played a major role in the reception venue selection. We took our time looking for traditional outfits – I can’t forget about the 2 traditional outfits we wore during the reception.
For more of Kemi and Yinka’s chic and intimate wedding day, visit https://munaluchibridal.com/?p=32777

Vendors:
Photography: Dotun Ayodeji www.dotunsblog.com
Wedding Dress: Allure Bridals www.allurebridals.com
Bride’s Hair: Luv & Locs by Amber

Bridesmaids Hair: Evelyn Mann
Makeup: Tolu Kara
Wedding Planner: BCG Events www.bcgevents.com
Floral, Décor and Lighting: BCG Events www.bcgevents.com
Wedding Cake: www.sweetthingblackorchid.com
Videographer: Event Media Production www.eventmediaproduction.com
Stationery: Skratchaus Studios www.skratchaus.com
Ceremony Location: University of Maryland Memorial Chapel weddings.umd.edu
Reception Venue: The Ballroom www.theballroom.org